Machiavellian
by twentythirteen
Summary: In the region of Sinnoh, a new trainer's quest for revenge is derailed by the sudden eruption of a world war. Among belligerent legendaries and global warfare, this trainer must find a path in order to set things straight and revert the world back to its peaceful state. However, things are never as easy as they seem.
1. Prologue and Beginnings

__Before the story begins, I want to take this moment to thank you for reading. This will probably be the only time I will talk about it, but reviews are appreciated as they let me know how I can improve my writing. They also show that somebody took the effort to leave a review, which gives me more motivation to continue the story. Thanks.

* * *

_Prologue_

_Following World War III, the world was sent into chaos. Entire countries had been destroyed, made into uninhabitable wastelands by the constant barrage of nuclear bombs. The world's population had been significantly reduced, and these few survivors began rebuilding the planet. _

_Finally, after over 3000 years of reconstruction, the world was still only a semblance of its former glory. Still, it was something. Many countries ceased to exist, and due to the state of anarchy their governments were in, were taken over by other countries. The two main combatants of the war, the United States and Japan, were decimated. Both countries had been damaged so much so that they were now mere chunks of land, shells of their former selves. These two countries have now been split into multiple, relatively isolated areas called "regions."_

_The United States is now referred to as "Unova," and Japan has become "Kanto." Even to this day, these two regions remain separate from each other and their relations extremely strained. However, the most remarkable change the war had caused was the creation of Pokémon._

_Pokémon are distant relatives of animals. After the war, the radiation was so high that it killed off many species of plants and animals. However, the ones that survived were nevertheless affected by the nuclear fallout. Animals began to change, began to develop. They adopted adaptations such as fire breathing and extreme strength, and they also gained the ability to evolve in unprecedented speeds. These new developments, coupled with the increased intelligence of Pokémon, made them far superior to their animal ancestors._

_Now, people capture and train these Pokémon. They are used as workers, assistants, or even simply kept as pets. However, the most prevalent use for these creatures taps into their most dangerous and primal attributes: they are also used as weapons. People pit Pokémon against each other in "battles," and have them attack each other. Although seen as barbaric to some people, it is unquestionable that both the trainer and Pokémon enjoy the fight, and there is no doubt that Pokémon battling will remain a common pastime, for better or worse._

_And in this special, lucrative world is where the journey of Callias Camillus._

* * *

_February 22__nd__, 3015 P.N.F._

* * *

Shock, disappointment, anger, uncertainty. These were the feelings that spun in a cycle in my brain in that moment. I held the letter in one hand and the egg in another, and I had to resist ripping the former and smashing the latter. I closed my mouth, which had fallen open in surprise, and then began reading the letter again. There had to have been a mistake.

_Addressed to: Callias Camillus, First Lieutenant, 22__nd__ regiment of the Sinnohan People's Army_

_Lieutenant, I am sorry to inform you that as of today, February 22__nd__, you have been honorably discharged from the Sinnohan People's Army. Recently, it has come to our attention that you have violated part b of Section 6 in the Rules and Regulations detailed in the Sinnohan Soldier's Handbook. Rule reads:_

"_Under no circumstances may a member of the Sinnohan People's Army injure or kill a higher ranking officer."_

_Incident that is believed to have violated this rule:_

"_At approximately 0400 hours on the 1__st__ of February, First Lieutenant Callias Camillus was observed by multiple persons fatally stabbing Captain Sloan Blackburn in the chest, stomach, and throat while in the captivity of hostile forces."_

_Due to the circumstances surrounding this event, and your records, we have decided that it would be unjust to persecute you for this killing. With that said, the Committee of the People's Sinnohan Military Leaders, as well as myself, do not condone this type of behavior and urge you to prevent anything similar to this incident from occurring during the course of your civilian life._

_We know how much time and effort you have dedicated to our cause, and we have sent you a gible egg as a token of our appreciation. On that note, please continue to uphold the values held dear to every soldier of the Sinnohan People's Army, and we wish you good luck in your future ventures._

_Also, happy birthday._

_From: Frank Waters, Colonel, 5__th__ division of the Sinnohan People's Army_

As I finished reading the letter for the second time, I realized that there was in fact no mistake, and that I was certainly being discharged from the only place I had ever felt comfortable in. The reason was absurd in my biased opinion, but if I had been in their position, I probably would have done the same. The so called "incident" was exactly how they had described it, but there were some key facts that they had left out.

It was my second "real" mission, and it was supposed to be an assassination. Our objective was to set up a perimeter around the radicals' small camp and silently pick off one of the officers with a sniper rifle. There were five of us, but only three made it out. Somehow, the enemy had known we would be there and had sent out a search party. Needless to say, we were captured quite easily and brought inside the base.

Once inside, we were tied up and interrogated by the radicals. At first, they played nicely. They asked each one of us for information, but they were asking of things that only Captain Blackburn had clearance on. Myself and the other four snipers vehemently denied knowing about such things, but Captain Blackburn's denial was apparently not convincing enough.

He was always an honest man.

I could see the Captain begin to quiver as one of the rebels produced a pair of rusty pliers, and he had begun spilling everything as soon as the first fingernail was torn out. Realizing that the situation was deteriorating, I quickly searched for something to free my bonds. However, it was one of my squad members that saved the day; he had managed to conceal a pocket knife and cut himself loose, and he had kept up the charade of being tied up in order to pass the knife to my other teammate and me so that we could escape the ropes as well.

As soon as I had freed myself, we sprang into action. In a frenzy I stabbed the Captain, preventing him from revealing any further secrets. In hindsight, I might have been able to save everyone by going for the interrogator first, but the Captain was closer. I heard a few gunshots go off, and I leapt at the interrogator and plunged my knife into his flesh. Soon after, reinforcements arrived and killed the remaining hostiles. However, the target had escaped and Captain Blackburn was dead.

I was spared because I had always acted in the best interest of Sinnoh, but they could have punished me more severely if they wanted. Although I knew I had gotten off relatively easily, I was still furious that they were forcing me to leave my job, my _home_, with just a goodbye and a gible egg. I was also irked because I had nowhere else to go, and the only thing I had ever known was the military.

Before the army, I was a normal kid with a normal family. I went to school, studied hard, received good grades. My parents wanted me to become a doctor, so being the obedient child that I was, I endeavored to reach that goal. However, when I was fifteen, my life took a drastic change. Sinnoh had been facing a terrorist threat by a group of Unovan radicals known as Team Plasma. Their goal was to "free Pokémon from their oppressive overlords," and they were going to achieve it by any means necessary, even if it meant murdering innocent Pokémon and people in the process.

Unfortunately, my parents were a victim of a Plasma-built IED, and they, along with our house, was destroyed. Vowing to exact revenge, I joined the Sinnohan People's Army in hopes of killing as many radicals as possible. I thrived in the military, and I was at home following orders and causing death and destruction in the name of my country and revenge.

Now that was all gone, and I was left alone in the world.

Actually, I still had the gible, but it had not even hatched yet (though it was probably close, considering how much it was shaking). As the gible attempted to free itself from its shelled prison, I pondered my future, and what I would do now that I was evicted from the army . I briefly entertained the idea of joining the Sinnohan Police Armada, but quickly struck down that idea. I had no interest in fighting off small-time criminals. I knew that I still abhorred the Plasmas, and that I still wanted to eliminate them. In order to do so, I would need some position of power.

It was then that I had an epiphany: I could be a Pokémon trainer.

It seemed like an excellent solution to my problems. Pokémon trainers were independent, yet powerful. If I amassed some high-powered Pokémon, I could stand a chance at taking down Team Plasma all by myself. I would work on my own schedule and was free to move as quickly and slowly as I liked. Plus, I already had a gible, which, if I recalled correctly from biology class, had the potential to evolve into one of the fiercest creatures on this planet.

Speaking of gibles, mine was currently halfway out of its shell. In my excitement in discovering my newfound means of obtaining my revenge, I had forgotten about the little dragon. I watched in fascination as the blue reptile, covered in liquid, emerged triumphantly from the egg. At first, the small monster looked around desperately, emitting a small cry that sounded rather pathetic for a dragon. Then, he (I could tell from the notch in his fin) looked at me.

As we locked eyes, I had a vision of him tearing into the radicals as I fired at them, two parts working in unison to create one deadly killing machine.

I was snapped out of my fantasy by his distressed roar (or squeal, more accurately). I realized that he must have been hungry, as I imagine breaking out of an egg would be quite taxing. I searched the box he arrived in and found a towel and a container which held a disgusting mixture of bloodied meat. I cleaned him off with the towel and set the container before him and watched as he began to shovel pieces of meat into his gigantic mouth.

* * *

It had been a week since I left the army, and a week since my eighteenth birthday. My gible, who I had decided to name Cirrus, for no reason other than it sounded cool, was now a week old. He was an intelligent creature, and I was certain that he was beginning to understand me. I thought that he was still too young to battle, though, so I had no idea how strong he was yet.

I was now in the town of Sandgem, and I had recently gotten my trainer's license. There was no fanfare, and the process was finished quite speedily, even though there was a fair bit of paperwork.

I set my sights on obtaining all the gym badges, as they would earn me respect as a trainer, and with respect comes the power that I craved.

I looked at myself in the cracked mirror of the small motel I was staying at. Brown eyes stared back at me, and my long black hair wildly hung around my face. On top of my tan skin was a skin-tight suit, and on top of that was a forest-green, sleeveless vest which remained unzipped. The pockets of the vest contained a Glock-17 pistol and some ammunition, a combat knife, and a lighter. I wore a pair of pitch black combat trousers, and a on my feet wore matching black combat boots. Years of military training and weightlifting had hardened my muscles and increased my strength, which I knew would be useful in the wilderness. Finally, to top it all off, I put on a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Reaching for the Pokeball on my belt, I released Cirrus. He emerged from the bright white light with a high-pitched growl and looked up at me expectantly.

"All right, Cirrus. Today is the day we set out to conquer the eight gyms of Sinnoh. After that, we will bring Team Plasma to their filthy knees using our newfound power."

The gible gave a determined cry after my speech, but I had no doubt that he only understood half of what I said. Then, with the small landshark at my side, I walked out of the motel and looked at the brave new world with my new eyes, the eyes of a Pokémon trainer.


	2. The Trainer with the Lucario

_March 1, 3015 P.N.F._

* * *

I made my way around the Pokemart, searching for some items that would be vital during my travels. I needed to acquire a sleeping bag, a small tent, and some rations for both myself and my gible, since I doubted the little dragon could hunt for the both of us yet. Currently, he was content in following me around the store, often stopping to survey the merchandise as if he actually knew what it was for.

As I paid for the items and began to leave the Pokemart, someone called out to me, grabbing my attention.

"Hey, you with the sunglasses! I saw you at the registration office yesterday, right?" I turned around to see a tall young man with a mess of brown hair on his head. I searched his warm brown eyes and vaguely recalled seeing him at the office. I confirmed his suspicions, and he then proceeded to tell me that Route 202, the route that led to Jubilife City, was temporarily closed.

"They said they found the bodies of two recently deceased trainers there, which is why they decided to close off the route. I talked to one of the rangers on site, though. He said it was probably only a case of dehydration or something, so I'm guessing that it will be reopened sometime tomorrow. Looks like we won't be starting our journeys today though, huh?"

"Yeah, it's a shame," I said, though it did not really matter to me. I was now on my own schedule, and I as far as I knew, I was in no particular rush. I once again surveyed the man standing in front of me. He was wearing a white, unbuttoned jacket with a black tee underneath and a pair of worn, dark jeans. The thing I noticed the most was his age, though; he looked slightly older than I was, and he was definitely too old to be just starting his travels. I voiced my opinion, and he offered a small laugh.

"I could say the same about you. But anyway, yeah, you're right. This isn't the start of my journey. I've actually been training for five years now."

"Five years?" I repeated dumbly. "Why were you at the registration office, then?"

"I just got off a plane from Kanto. After challenging the league there and losing, I decided I needed some more training in a different region."

"You challenged the league? How did it go?" I asked, intrigued. I had never met a trainer who had so much experience. While in the army, the only times I dealt with trainers were when we needed attack dog back up or a psychic type in order to comb somebody's mind.

"All right. I lost in the semifinals of the tournament portion, though."

* * *

I will take this moment to describe how the league challenges work. It is the same way in every region, other than a few minor differences. The league challenges are held once a year in the month of June in the Pokémon League.

The first part is a tournament. This is a massive event, and it is considered a national holiday in most regions. The length of the tournament varies, but it often lasts around a week. Trainers who have collected eight badges and made it through the grueling path known as Victory Road enter into the tournament and fight each other. There are five groups, groups A, B, C, D, and E. The tournament continues until there is a winner from each group, and these winners are considered Level One Champions, or L1s. The five L1s now have the right to challenge the Elite Four of the region.

This is the second stage of the competition, the Elite Four Challenge. The five L1s are each randomly assigned a number, and the one with the lowest number gets to fight first. Since the Elite Four are the toughest trainers in the region, not many challengers make it past this stage. Usually only one trainer makes it past all four, but there are times where two, three, or no challengers make it past. There has never been a time in any region where all five L1s made it past the Elite Four. Anyone who defeats all four members is known as a Level Two Champion, or L2. The L2s have the chance at the thing every trainer dreams of, a chance to win it all.

Finally, the third stage of the league challenge is the fight against the Grand Champion himself. This battle is one of the most celebrated times of the year, and almost everyone watches it, including us deployed soldiers. Tickets to this battle cost a fortune, but it is also televised all across the region for those who cannot attend. Usually there is only one L2 taking on the Grand Champion, but in the rare event where there are multiple challengers, the L2s proceed in the order that they fought the Elite Four in. Say there are three L2s and the first one defeats the Grand Champion. He is now the new Grand Champion, and the next challenger has to fight him rather than the old Champion. If he wins, then he takes on the title and the third trainer fights him, and so on. At the end of the league challenge, the one holding the title is now the Grand Champion until he or she is defeated.

* * *

"Semifinals is pretty good," I said. Considering how difficult it was to even be _part_ of the tournament, I would say that he did a decent job.

"Thanks, but this year I'm hoping to actually become a Champion. By the way, my name is Sven," he said, holding out his hand.

"I'm Callias," I replied, shaking his hand.

"Callias, huh? That's a strange name. Anyway, what's your story? I mean, you seem a little old for a newbie."

"I, uh, just left the army to become a trainer," I said hastily. I opted not to mention that I only left because I got kicked out.

"Really? That's cool. In some ways, being a trainer is similar to being a soldier. I think you'll adjust pretty quickly."

Somehow I doubted that, but I just nodded anyway.

"So, I'm assuming you're going to challenge the Oreburgh Gym?" he asked. I nodded again.

"Cool. I'm going there too. Hey, we should travel together. You know what they say, safety in numbers," he said with a smile.

"I'm pretty sure someone who's been training for five years doesn't need a new trainer to protect him," I said. He was probably just trying to be nice to someone just starting out, but my years in the armed forces made me skeptical. To my surprise, he simply laughed at my comment.

"Yeah, I guess. I could use the human company, though, and you never know when you might need some help and you're Pokémon aren't around. You can say no, though; it wouldn't really make that much of a difference to me."

Deciding that he appeared to be genuine in his words, I accepted his offer.

"Actually, you seem all right, and I could use all the help I can get. I'll go with you, if you want."

"Great! We leave tomorrow, then. For now, we should get a room at the Pokémon Cent – hey, is that a gible?" he asked, interrupting his previous train of though.

I looked back at Cirrus, who had been watching the conversation with interest. My guess was that he was trying to expand his vocabulary by listening.

"Yeah, he hatched a week ago. Why?"

"Gible are some of the rarest Pokémon in the world. How did you get him? Did you buy him? Must have been extremely expensive."

"Actually, he was a gift from someone," I answered.

"Well that someone must like you a lot. But anyway, like I was saying, we should probably go to a Pokémon Center now," he suggested, walking out of the Pokemart.

Cirrus and I started after him, and I began to wonder if I was wrong in feeling so bitter towards the Committee of the People's Sinnohan Military Leaders. They had given me one of the "rarest Pokémon in the world," after all.

* * *

The next day, Sven and I set out for Route 202. The previous night, he had told me about gym battles and also a little bit about Roark himself. We attempted to train Cirrus as well. Using the Pokedex issued to me at the registration office, I scanned the gible and checked his attacks. Apparently, he only knew tackle attack, so we used pillows from the beds and set them up as makeshift enemies for Cirrus to ram.

As we walked along Route 202, I realized that I had not yet seen any of Sven's Pokémon. When I asked to see them, he hurled a Pokeball into the air and released a bipedal, blue, lupine creature. I recognized it immediately as a lucario, and a mega lucario nonetheless.

"His name is Luke," explained Sven. "He was my first Pokémon."

"Greetings," said the lucario.

"You have a mega Pokémon? How is it in its mega form outside of battle? It can talk?" I asked in a barrage of questions.

"Yes I have a mega Pokémon, and with extensive training he can sustain his mega form outside of battle and learn to talk," he said, answering all three of my questions in one sentence.

"Wow, you are a lot better than I thought you were," I told him, still staring in awe at Luke.

"I can't take all the credit. He still reverts back to his regular form when tired, and certain Pokémon have a very easy time learning human languages. Lucario just happens to be one of those Pokémon."

We continued walking, talking of things such as lucario, gible, and rock types. I noticed Cirrus introduce himself to Luke, but other than that he remained silent, preferring instead to listen to the three of us talk. He was a rather quiet Pokémon.

It was on this route that I had my first battle. It was against another novice trainer who only had a starly, and I went into the fight quite confident in my tactical abilities and my dragon's strength. As I would later learn, confidence plays a large role in Pokémon battles. If the trainer does not believe he can win, why should his Pokémon?

The beginning of the battle was rather static, and it consisted of Cirrus and the starly glaring at each other for a good minute. Finally, I decided to break the silence.

"Cirrus, tackle it." The gible charged forward, aiming his fin at the small bird. Unfortunately, the starly took to the air and managed to evade the attack.

"Starr, dive bomb it!" yelled my opponent, who looked to be about only fifteen years of age, the minimum age required to become a trainer. As I expected, the starly had no idea what the command meant and remained in the air, looking quizzically at its trainer. The bird was only about a foot off the ground, which meant that Cirrus could reach it. I took the moment of confusion shared by my opponent and his bird and ordered Cirrus to attack.

"Quick, jump and grab it with your teeth," I told my gible. Thankfully, the land shark understood my command and jumped up and easily took hold of the starly with his teeth. On the ground, he began shaking his head back and forth, tossing the bird around like a rag doll until the opposing trainer returned it. He quickly shoved some money into my hands and ran off, presumably to heal his starly.

"Nice job," remarked Sven, who had been watching the battle, "but you only won so easily because your opponent didn't know what he was doing. It won't be so easy against Roark."

"Yeah, I know," I said while petting Cirrus' rough skin. "At least he got some good experience though."

"Yeah," replied Sven. "It's always good to battle other trainers and wild Pokémon for the experience, even if you do end up losing. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Usually."

After claiming my first victory, I continued down Route 202 with renewed confidence and one small step closer to destroying Team Plasma.

Little did I know, worse things were soon to come.

* * *

_Lucario, the Aura Pokémon_

_Lucario are some of the most intelligent species of Pokémon in the world. Lucario often move from place to place, never living in one area for too long unless they are raising young, in which case often choose secluded caves as a home. Although lucario's martial arts skills are unparalleled and their steel coats can deflect bullets, the species' true strength lies in their aura sensing abilities. Using their sixth sense, lucario can detect other organisms which are close by. Experienced lucario can use this ability to "see" people and Pokémon within a mile radius. _

_Another attribute of aura is its ability to be balled up and hurled at opponents with devastating force. Lucario often times combine their aura skills, fighting ability, and steel frame to attack. For example, the move "force palm" uses the lucario's martial arts skills to slam an open palm into the opponent. Coupled with the weight of the steel in lucario's body, this attack results in a crushing blow. To top it all off, the lucario uses its aura to push the opponent back and away from itself. Lucario are classified as a priority three security threat on the Pokémon Danger Scale._


	3. Chapter 3: Life in Jubilife

_March 2, 3015 P.N.F._

* * *

The rest of Route 202 was pretty uneventful. I beat two more trainers and lost to one, which put my record at three wins and one loss. The route was teeming with new trainers, so naturally Luke and Sven did not receive any challenges. The four battles that I got were extremely helpful, as I could see Cirrus begin to grow stronger with every fight. The small gible was relatively strong for his tender age, but I was still unsure of whether I could actually defeat Roark with him. I debated catching another Pokémon, but the only Pokémon I saw were starly and a few bidoof, none of which interested me. Sven and his lucario were engaged in a conversation regarding which Pokémon of his to use in the fight against Roark, but all his Pokémon had nicknames, so I could not keep up with them.

Instead, I used the database of the Pokedex and looked up gible. I read about how their natural habitat was caves warmed by geothermal forces and how even newborn gible could consume meat (which I experienced firsthand), but the piece of information I was searching for was their evolution time. In the database, it said that gible naturally evolve after around twenty years of age into gabite, and thirty years later, into garchomp. Obviously I was not going to wait that long, so I needed to train Cirrus a lot harder than I previously anticipated. So far, he was doing pretty well; he had managed to learn both sand attack and dragon rage. However, the only one of his moves I could see having any affect on Roark's rock types was dragon rage, and even then, it was not a very strong attack.

"All right, we're in Jubilife now." Sven's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I was somehow so caught up in my Pokedex and inner musings that I failed to notice we had stepped into the entrance of Sinnoh's largest city, and the second largest in the world.

"Television capital of the world," muttered Sven. "Say, Callias, you ever been here before?"

"Once, when my parents were still alive. That was almost eight years ago, though."

"Damn, your parents are dead? Sorry to hear that," Sven said with a shocked look plastered on his face. I realized that I had never mentioned my parents to him before, so it was no wonder he was surprised. I also realized that I had not mentioned anything about myself to him, other than I used to be in the army.

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, I remember there being a huge screen on the front of the television studio. I'm going to go check it out, and I'm sure Cirrus would appreciate it too." I said, changing the subject. Cirrus looked up at the mention of his name, but otherwise remained silent, enthralled by the large crowds of people.

"Yeah, I heard about that! Me and Luke would love to see that, right Luke?" The lucario offered a grunt, but continued glaring at the flocks of people. It was clear that he was not very comfortable in crowded areas.

We made our way towards the center of the city where the television studios were located, and on the way there I explained the purposes of various shops and buildings to Cirrus. He was in my arms now, as I feared he may get lost in the ocean of people and Pokémon.

"Wow. Is it always this busy?" Sven inquired.

Ignoring the fact that I had only been here once, I made an educated guess. "Yeah. The only place busier would be Castelia City in Unova, probably."

"So this is where all the films are made," remarked Sven as we approached the studio. However, his attention was immediately captured by the large screen located on the front of the building, which was currently broadcasting some singing competition.

"Damn, it's huge."

"Yeah. It's better at night, though," I said, noticing that it was only 1700 hours. "We should probably check into a Pokémon Center. If memory serves me correctly, it should be just around the corner."

Sure enough, we were at the Pokémon Center in fifteen minutes, but it would have been a lot faster if there was not a constant stream of people and Pokémon pushing their way through the metropolis. Luke growled at passing pedestrians, and he almost got into a fight with a trainer and his electivire after shoving them when they got too close. He clearly had agoraphobia, but I did not think it polite to ask him about it. Besides, I was not a big fan of large crowds either.

After booking a room, Sven decided to go look at the gigantic screen again, albeit without Luke this time. I contemplated eating dinner alone and then going to bed early, but decided against it. I was still worried about how Cirrus would fair in the upcoming gym battle, so I wanted to train him some more. I knew there was a trainer school nearby, and it was bound to be full of newbies who I could hopefully beat into the ground.

I entered the school and found that it simply consisted of a single large classroom with a large open space in the middle that split the rows of desks. At the head of the room was a wide blackboard, and on it was a massive web of type charts, trainer tips, Pokémon names, and the like. I noticed a few battles underway, and there were people milling around the fringes of the open area, presumably waiting for their turn to battle. Most of them appeared to be fifteen, but I noticed a few older and a few younger ones. Although it was illegal to become a trainer before the age of fifteen, certain trainer schools allowed students as young as ten to "get acquainted" with Pokémon, which in actuality meant that they were allowed to train Pokémon but not leave on a journey.

"Anyone want to battle? Or are you all scared?" a snide voice taunted from beside me. I turned and saw a young man probably as old as myself. He was, oddly, dressed in an expensive looking suit, and his medium-length blonde hair was parted neatly to the side.

"I'll battle you," I found myself saying, even though the rich kid could have been a veteran trainer considering his age. His tone annoyed me to the point that I felt like putting him in his place.

"Good. Finally, someone steps up to the challenge." His words made me uneasy, and confidence oozed from his voice. We agreed to a one-on-one battle, and I let out a sigh of relief when I saw my opponent was a mere abra. I sent out Cirrus, who I had returned on the way to the school. The crowds had grown at night, and I did not feel comfortable walking around with my hands full.

"Interesting choice," the snob remarked, "however, your gible is no match for Simon."

I grit my teeth and ordered a dragon rage attack.

"Teleport," the rich kid said. To my horror, the abra disappeared and reappeared behind Cirrus.

"Enemy on your six!" I yelled reflexively, and only after I said it did I realize that Cirrus would have no idea what that meant. Fortunately, turned around anyway and bit down. However, the abra was too quick. It once again teleported, this time directly in front of the blackboard. Both trainer and Pokémon began laughing, the abra's high-pitched giggling blending in a perfectly annoying harmony with the blonde's obnoxious cackle. I could see Cirrus' eyes widen in rage, and he charged at the abra with speeds I had never seen him go before.

"Cirrus, calm down! You can only fight with a clear head!" I yelled, but it was too late. Cirrus continued barreling towards the psychic, and, at the last minute, it teleported away. Cirrus, however, kept on going and hit the blackboard, knocking himself out in the process. I recalled him in shame. My Pokémon disobeyed my command, acted on impulse, and worst of all, the dumbass rich kid won.

"Well, I can't say it was a good battle, though your gible would have won if he had landed a hit. Too bad he didn't though! Now hand over your money." His gloating made me hate him even more, and I resisted the urge to punch him in the face as I handed over the cash.

"By the way, my name is Cassio. I figured you would want to know the identity of the man that so soundly defeated you."

"Fuck you, I couldn't care less what your name is," I said gruffly.

"My! Didn't your parents ever teach you manners, you filthy barbarian?" he sneered.

That did it. A second later, my fist was in his face and he was thrown to the ground. However, I failed to account for his abra. After I punched its trainer, it lifted a large textbook with its mind and threw it into my stomach. The blow sent me to the floor as well, and I fought for air. I managed to get up wearily, but the abra was already preparing another textbook. To my surprise, a pink glow surrounded the abra and slammed it into the wall before it could launch the projectile. I looked to my right to see Luke, eyes glowing pink, and Sven.

"Now, now, don't you know that it isn't nice to attack people with your Pokémon?" he said, addressing the snob who had finally gotten to his feet.

Ignoring him, Cassio shrieked at the sight of his unconscious abra and quickly recalled it.

"You damn fools! You'll pay for this!" he yelled before storming out of the school.

"You really shouldn't fight with a trainer who has a Pokémon out, no matter how strong you are," Sven lectured.

"Yeah, I know. That bastard just pissed me off. Thanks for coming, by the way. How did you find me?"

"I figured you would be training, and I saw the school on our way over to the Pokémon Center. What better place to train your Pokémon, right?"

"That's what I thought before I got my ass handed to me by that idiot and his abra. I hate to admit it, but he was good. He defeated Cirrus by teleporting alone."

"If he really is good, then you'll probably see him again. You can get your rematch then." Great, another person who I needed to exact my revenge from. More importantly, I needed to train Cirrus. The most important thing in a fight was maintaining a clear head, though I had broken that rule as well by clocking Cassio.

We made our way back to the Pokémon Center, and Sven left to our room to get some sleep. I sat in the lounge in the lobby watching television and waiting for my Pokémon to be healed. After a few minutes, I was called up to the desk in order to retrieve Cirrus' ball. As I sat back down on one of the sofas, I released him.

"Cirrus, what you did back there was unacceptable. You have to fight with a clear head, otherwise you are essentially handicapping yourself. Next time, don't let your emotions cloud your judgement."

I wasn't sure how much of that he understood, but I seemed to have gotten the message across judging by the ashamed look on the gible's face.

"Now that I think about it, we might have been able to defeat that damned abra with a mixture of sand attack and dragon rage," I mused. "Whatever, I'm sure we'll get him next time. For now, we should probably get some food and then sleep."

* * *

We spent two more days in Jubilife, and they both went by rather uneventfully. It was Sven's idea to linger there, as he wanted to go sightseeing and he suggested that I spend the time training Cirrus. I went back to the school, but unfortunately did not get the chance to challenge Cassio again, as he was gone.

However, I did manage to win five more battles. Cirrus' momentary loss of control against the abra seemed to have been an isolated incident, and in the following battles, he was perfectly composed. I noticed that he was an efficient battler, and his attack strength was unparalleled. I was a decent tactician as well, and my time in the military had sharpened my strategic skills.

Then, on the morning of March 4, we headed east on Route 203 and towards Oreburgh.

* * *

_Character Profile: Cynthia Platinum_

_Born and raised in Celestic Town in the region of Sinnoh, Cynthia Platinum left home at the tender age of thirteen to become a Pokémon trainer. In these times, Sinnoh was constantly terrorized by the criminal organization known as Team Galactic, making it all the more dangerous for trainers to embark on journeys, especially ones as young as Cynthia. However, she was different. Tearing through the gym circuit at the lightning-quick speed of only four months, Cynthia proved to be one of the greatest trainers in her generation. Unfortunately, at around the time when she was preparing to go through Victory Road, Sinnoh erupted into chaos. _

_Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic, managed to awaken and summon the three main deities of Sinnoh: Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina. Faced with imminent danger, the Elite Four and then Grand Champion, Scott Rivers, enlisted the help of the prodigy Cynthia Platinum in order to take down the Galactic threat. While the Elite Four and Champion subdued the three rogue legendaries, the thirteen-year-old Cynthia took on Team Galactic's malevolent leader. In the end, the three beasts were sent back to their respective dimensions and Cyrus, along with Team Galactic, was destroyed. Cynthia was hailed as a hero, although she had not come out of the conflict unscathed. Shaken by the death of her starter Pokémon, a torterra, Cynthia left for the tropical region of Hoenn. Four years later, she returned to Sinnoh and easily claimed the title of Grand Champion. _

_Reign as Grand Champion: 3009 – present _


	4. Chapter 4: A Taste of Greatness

_March 4, 3015 P.N.F._

* * *

Route 203 was very similar to Route 202, the only major difference being that it was significantly longer. Sven, as usual, was not approached for any battles, but I got one challenge which went fairly well. The trainer had a chimchar which, naturally, was at a major disadvantage to my gible. After a few sand attacks and the chimchar began running around blindly, the trainer threw the fight. The rest of the route went by rather slowly, and it consisted of Sven and I talking while Cirrus listened and Luke glared at any Pokémon or person who got too close.

"So. . . Are you nervous about the gym battle?" Sven asked.

"Not really," I lied. "I mean, Cirrus is pretty strong, and he is part ground type, which is super effective against rocks. Hopefully he will learn a good ground move before the fight."

"Yeah, that's possible," replied Sven, "but when I was fighting Brock, I was nervous as hell even though I knew Luke had an advantage. We won, but still, I couldn't help but be nervous. I guess being in the military kind of teaches you not to give into nerves, right?"

"Yeah," I said, which was true, but nevertheless, I still had some doubt in my mind.

We walked another hour in relative silence, and then Sven made the decision to set up camp due to the fact that it was becoming dark.

"According to the map feature on my Pokedex, Oreburgh Gate is only an hour's walk away, and the cave itself isn't that long, but I hate traversing caves and caverns at night. The zubat are a lot more active," Sven explained. I nodded and began setting up the small tent I had bought from the Pokemart. However, I noticed Sven looking at me strangely.

"What?" I said.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just surprised that you brought a tent along. No wonder your pack was so big."

"Yeah, maybe when I have a Pokémon like Luke guarding me I can afford to sleep out in the open with nothing but a sleeping bag," I replied gruffly.

"Whatever you say, but a tent isn't going to protect you from a Pokémon if it really wants to attack you. But anyway, since you have one, do you mind if I share it? It's useful for protection from the elements, at least."

I looked at the tent. It was rather small, but I supposed that it could fit two people. And so, I spent my first night out in the wilds in a cramped tent with someone who kicked in his sleep.

* * *

The next morning, we made it to Oreburgh Gate in just under an hour. The cave was large and lengthy, but not so much so that we could not see the exit in the distance. The path itself was relatively straight, lit up with lamps which lined it. Although there was a fair bit of lamination, most of the cave was still dark, and I could hear zubat flitting around in the blackness.

As we walked through the cave, a hiker challenged Sven (to my surprise) to battle, and was soundly beaten by Luke. Other than that one battle, no trainers stopped us. However, I did have Cirrus fight a few geodude and zubat on the way out. I knew Roark could have a geodude, and I wanted to test Cirrus' effectiveness against rock types. He managed to defeat them with relative ease, but Sven said that these Pokémon were not very powerful, and that Roark's would definitely be stronger. This did not do much to alleviate my worries about the upcoming gym battle, and I did not know of any good ways for a gible to beat a rock type. With the geodudes, we mainly just blinded them and dragon raged them into submission, but I doubted that would work against a gym leader. The only thing that I was thankful for was Cirrus' resistance to rock moves, but I knew that the gym leader's Pokémon would have other means of fighting other than just flinging rocks.

Eventually, we made it out of the Gate and into the city itself. Oreburgh was a beautiful city, and it was situated in between two cliffs. Other than the paved streets, Oreburgh's ground was a coarse mixture of sand, gravel, and dirt, giving the city a yellowish tint. Specks of dirt occasionally floated in the otherwise clear air, providing an earthy smell. Oreburgh was not even close to as big as Jubilife, but there were other attractions that made the city famous. For example, Sinnoh's most well-known museum was located in Oreburgh, and its most attractive feature was its ability to bring fossilized species back to life. However, the aspect Oreburgh was most famous for was its mines. The Oreburgh mines were huge, and the only mining operation that was bigger than Oreburgh's was Driftveil's in Unova. The mines often yielded precious metals such as diamonds and elemental stones, and sometimes fossils were found as well. The mining operations were headed by Roark, the gym leader, and on his days off, he could often be found in the mines.

"Wow, is every city in Sinnoh interesting?" Sven asked in wonder. I shrugged in reply. I did not think that Oreburgh or Jubilife were _that_ amazing, but it was probably because I had lived in Sinnoh all my life, while Sven was a newcomer to the country.

"But anyway, we should probably go make our appointments at the gym now," he suggested. The outside of the gym was rather unimpressive, and it looked the same as the pictures of all the other gyms I had seen: silver building, brown roof. The inside, however, was different. The floor throughout the building was made of polished stone, and the walls and ceilings were the same. Past the lobby I could see the battling area, which consisted of a regular, flat battlefield with a few rocks and boulders scattered around. There were two pools of water which were equal in length to the battlefield on the left and right sides of the field, and those were only there because every gym required there to be a body of water on the battlefield. Oreburgh was meant to be the first gym in the circuit, so the layout was probably meant to be friendly for new trainers. I doubted the other gyms would be so straightforward.

"Hey, there's two appointments open for today, one at 1:30 and another at five. I'll take the first one and you can take the second one so that you can see how a standard gym battle goes, all right?" I nodded in agreement, though I was slightly put off by the fact that I would have to battle the gym today. I was hoping for at least one day to train.

I glanced at the clock. It was 1300, which meant that Sven's battle would start in thirty minutes. I was surprised that Roark would agree to a battle on such short notice. After scheduling the appointments, Sven handed me a sheet of paper.

"It's a pre-battle form. It just asks you stuff like how many Pokémon you're going to use, how long you've been training, how many badges you have. . . It's there so that the gym leader knows which team he should use," he explained.

After filling out the forms and making a trip to the Pokémon Center to heal our Pokémon and reserve a room, it was time for Sven's battle. I sat in the stands, which were empty save for a few gym trainers, and waited for Roark to appear. A few minutes later, he did just that.

I had seen pictures of the man before, but his frame still surprised me to a degree. He was rather wiry for someone who worked in a mine, but he was taller than I thought. His outfit was that of a miner's, and soot and dirt coated him and his spelunking helmet, making him appear as if he had just emerged from the mines.

"All right," he began. "Sven Svenson?" He asked, looking up at the trainer across from him. Sven nodded, and I snickered in the stands. I never knew he had such "matching" names.

"This battle will be a six-on-six fight, and considering you already have eight badges, I'm guessing that I don't need to reiterate the standard rules of a gym battle?" Sven nodded again.

"Okay, let's begin," Roark said, tossing a Pokeball into the air. An odd looking fish emerged from the ball and landed in the pool of water on the left side of the field. I could identify most species of Pokémon, but I had no idea what this was. I whipped out my Pokedex and found out that it was a rock and water type called relicanth, a rare Pokémon native to the seas of Hoenn. Based on the rarity of Roark's first Pokémon, I guessed he was using his regular team against Sven. Roark, like most gym leaders, was a Level One Champion, so I was excited to see how a trainer with eight badges would fare against a champion.

Sven released his first Pokémon, one I had not seen him use before (though that did not say much considering that I had only seen his lucario so far). I recognized it immediately as an exeggutor, a psychic and grass Pokémon that resembled a palm tree. Considering relicanth's typing, it was a smart choice. I watched as the exeggutor planted roots into the ground and bombed the rock fish with a barrage of seeds. The fight was over relatively quickly, and exeggutor came out victorious. I noticed that the coconut Pokémon seemed to be healing what few injuries it sustained during the fight, and I gathered that it probably had something to do with its roots.

The next Pokémon Roark sent out was a crustle, and it managed to beat the exeggutor back with its bug type moves. However, a well-aimed hypnosis attack put the crustle asleep and rendered it susceptible to a flurry of low kicks. The crustle soon awoke with a cry, but Sven ordered a seed bomb attack, and, at such a close range, knocked exeggutor out. The crustle was severly weakened but nevertheless remained standing, but Roark elected to withdraw it and send out another Pokémon. Roark's next combatant was a golem, and Sven sent out Luke to face it. The mega lucario ended the fight rather quickly, and the golem was unconscious before it could even land a single hit. Roark's next Pokémon, a probopass, went down in the same manner, and it did not help that it had a double weakness to Luke's fighting type attacks.

Roark's fifth Pokémon was an archeops, and it appeared to actually stand a chance against Luke at first. However, when Luke sent a couple aura spheres its way, it began to tire and its efforts at fighting the lucario were significantly reduced. I did not know whether this archeops had just decided to give up or whether it was a trait that afflicted every member of the species, but after that, Luke easily managed to bring it down. Finally, Roark sent out his last Pokémon, the famous rampardos known as Brutus. Even I had heard of the tales of Brutus; it was rumored that Roark used Brutus to break down walls in the mines instead of bulldozers or other equipment.

Brutus began charging at Luke, and I was surprised at its speed. Luke, however, was faster, and he easily dodged the headbutt. The rampardos responded by knocking Luke off his feet with an earthquake, which was the first real hit any of Roark's Pokémon had managed to land on the lucario. The battle continued with a ferocity not seen before in this battle, and I winced when I saw Luke get knocked several feet in the air by a head smash attack. In the end, Sven prevailed when Luke's combination of aura spheres and close combat knocked Brutus out. As Roark recalled his fallen dinosaur, I saw Luke drop to one knee and revert back to his original form, panting.

Although the lucario was worn out, Sven had won, and it had only taken him two Pokémon. It was an impressive feat, and my respect for him grew significantly. Though, Sven had played on Roark's weaknesses, defeating a Level One Champion with only two Pokémon was masterful.

As I congratulated him and we left the gym, I could not help but feel even more nervous about my battle now. Since Sven had won, I was afraid that it would be a disappointment to both him and Roark if I lost.

* * *

_Character Profile: Roark Mantle_

_Roark Mantle was born in Canalave City to parents Byron and Maron. Being the son of a gym leader, Roark was expected to continue in his father's footsteps and become a well-renowned trainer. Deciding that he did not want to be too much like his father, Roark chose to train rock type Pokémon instead of the steel types which he grew up around. Two years after leaving home, Roark entered the 52__nd__ annual Sinnoh League Championships and emerged as the victor of Group B. After defeating Aaron of the Elite Four relatively easily, Roark lost to Bertha, her ground types proving to be more than a match for his rocks. _

_Even though Roark failed to defeat the Elite Four, he still left an impression on them with his brilliant use of rock types. A year later, Roark was offered the position of gym leader of Oreburgh City, and he, at the urging of his father, accepted. Roark proved to be an excellent gym leader, and his love for rocks and minerals prompted him to take command of the mining business. With his leadership, the mining industry in Oreburgh experienced a boom, and the city's economy greatly benefitted._

_Time as gym leader of Oreburgh City: 3012 – present_

* * *

**A/N: **I noticed that this story is getting a lot of views but not many reviews. If you are reading this, please take a few seconds out of your day to leave a review. It serves as motivation for me and it does not take much effort. Thank you to those of you who have already reviewed, and I hope you continue to read this story. Thanks.


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